Beach Fun

Thursday, May 23, 2013

Most days are good. Every now and then there are "those" days when you just completely lose it. Today is one of those days. Many people I know who don't have as many children say I make it look easy. It is easy when I have them all under control. My kids behave well in public, they listen a majority of the time, and they are pretty friendly with others. Here's a look into a rough day in quad mama life.
Midnight: I got up with Parker who I believe was having a bad dream. I laid with him for about 10 minutes and went back to bed.
1:30AM: Jack comes in and stands on my side of the bed. He finally lays on the floor beside me.
2:30AM: Emma wakes up and is standing in the hallway...not sure why. Tuck her back in.
3:45AM: Emma again wakes crying.
6:30AM: Parker wakes Maddox who thinks we should all get up and play. I go into the boys room and let them know it's not time to get up only to have Brian tell me 15 minutes later he needs Drew ready in 25 minutes because he has a meeting in Plainfield. OK! I'm up.
7AM: Breakfast and getting dressed. This went well today, all the kids were dressed and playing before Parker's bus came at 8:30
8:30: Parker is on the bus and Emma, Jack, and Maddox are inside playing together.
Between 8:30 and 10:30 is the prime time for me to get things done around the house. Today I folded and put away all the laundry, did dishes, packed for our trip to Kentucky, cleaned the pool, and cleaned the mess from breakfast. At 10:30 we always pack up to go get Drew from school.
11:15AM: Time for me to make lunch. Emma requested "HOCKA DOGS" and Maddox requested mac n cheese. So we had both with a side of mustard per Drew's request. Here's where my day really plummets. :(
During lunch the kids were absolutely crazy. It seriously looked like the circus was at my table. Once lunch was over, I sent everyone outside to run off some energy. I joined the kids and we played an hour. For some strange reason the tornado sirens sounded and we headed inside for nothing. We played in the playroom where Jack decided he needed to paint with fingernail polish all over himself. Thank goodness it was only on him but he was a mess. Parker smashed his finger, Maddox got nipped by the dog, Jack then cut his finger, Emma was just over tired and Drew was busy with attitude and Wii Fit. By this time it's already 3:45PM. Too late for any type of nap or rest time. So I thought I would send them to the basement while I made an early dinner and folded one last load of laundry. Of course the usual he hit, she threw a toy, I'm hungry game begins. While all this is going on the one spectacular thing of my week so far happens. Maddox had gone upstairs and pooped all by himself. (Yes, even on bad days good things do happen!). We had a little dance party and gave high fives and cheered and all that then went back to business.
5:15PM: Dinner is ready. We made sloppy joes, corn and applesauce. By now Emma is exhausted and refusing to eat. Jack is so cranky he left the table on his own and never did eat. Maddox and Drew ate pretty good. Parker picked a little but found a plate of hidden cookies and ate quite a few of those. When I say "quite a few" that means I have no idea how many, but it was at least two!
6:15PM: Dinner is cleaned up and I still haven't heard from Brian who I had been calling all afternoon. I decide to pack up five over tired kids and run to Walgreens. Somehow we managed to lose Drew's eye drops and needed them refilled. The tech must have been new cause she gave me the run around. I finally get the pharmacist who gets me taken care of. By now I'm just DONE!!! I decided to get Starbucks.
7:00PM: We get home from our errands and Jack refuses to come into the house. I leave him to have his fit on the garage steps for a few minutes. I go back and he is sitting in front of the door smiling at me. I ask him if he is ready to come in? He says yes and comes in. I begin to make chocolate milk for everyone.
7:30PM: Mama is PAST DONE. Kids are going to bed early. Maddox and Parker inform me they need new diapers.....GRRRR. I get them changed. Jack continues to throw a massive fit and hides downstairs. I find him and put him in bed. Maddox now refuses to lay down and Parker can't get enough kisses, hugs, fives, zaps, and booms. Emma, meanwhile is whining because she wants this doll, and can't find that doll. Drew is running up and down the hall yelling. After I get the quads settled I tucked Drew in bed with a movie.
8:00PM: Here I am, writing about my day drinking my Starbucks. Waiting for my husband to come home so we can sit and stare at each other because it's all we have the energy for.
We are blessed to have five wonderful kids. We love them to pieces, I love being home with them all day, every day. I'm lucky to have the husband I do. It's not always easy and I know Brian and I feel neglected by each other quite often, but we know in our hearts this is what god wanted us to do and we will survive. Looking forward to tomorrow, family fun and a fresh start. :)

Wednesday, May 8, 2013

Hoping Spring is here to stay. I did look at the weekend forecast and it says to keep those warm clothes close by. Mother nature is sure making it tough on us this year. Although it does make for good s'mores and a campfire.
Why am I wishing for warm weather?? With Drew and crew ready to play outside I would like to do it in style! Today the crew had a choice of going to the Zoo or playing in the backyard. They surprisingly chose the backyard. Drew has been itching to go swimming and keeps asking when we get a pool. I haven't had a chance to replace it yet, but Nana did buy the kids a shark slip and slide. Yes, you've guessed it. It was only 73* today and my kids requested the slip and slide. I'm sure if I were little again I wouldn't mind the cold water either. I agreed thinking they were nuts. The kids had an absolute blast and played a little over an hour on it.
Drew is in full swing, as baseball season is underway. I missed his first game due to a ladies weekend away with some amazing quad mamas in Nashville, TN. Brian sent me a video of him during the game. He is in coach pitch this year; one of the younger kids on the team but is doing great. It will be interesting to see how he develops those ball playing skills over the next few years. I may be biased, but he's the cutest and best player on the team!!! Maddox, Parker, Emma and Jack love to cheer for him. They really have it down...."Go Drew, RUN!" "Fast Drew, like Mario." "Good job Drew!" Thinking about soccer for them in the fall. :)
My weekend away with my mama's was fun. It was four days of sight seeing, music, food, more food, and laughs. We visited the pink bus "Nash Trash Tour" where we visited music row, the Country Music Hall of Fame, and saw some pretty landscapes. We spent one night doing massages and girl talk, and visited the Grand Ole Opry. Tons of fun! Did I mention shopping because man those girls know how to shop. My squad was so excited to see their very own cowboy hats. Do they look country!!!
Get out those graham crackers and marshmallows!!
XOXO